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instinctive

instinctive

28 4.1
A natural quick action or feeling that happens without thinking
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/
translation icon : instintivo
  • Her response to the sudden loud noise was purely instinctive, as she jumped back without thinking.
  • instinctive response
  • instinctive fear
  • instinctive behavior

I think most of them were instinctive writers.

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Examples

  • I just see what's in front of me and it's a very instinctive reaction to the surface.

  • What's your instinctive response to someone upsetting you in an argument?

  • Something is released from you, something instinctive, something built on training.

  • And it's, it's, I think it's an instinctive thing.

  • It's just an instinctive thing, I suppose.

  • At the time, I felt the need to remain instinctive and not technical about what I was doing.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Was that an instinctive reaction?

  • I suppose I was a kind of instinctive rebel.

  • By now, they felt nothing but the instinctive wish to be rescued.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • And those structures are our emotional and instinctive responses to our environment.

Synonyms

natural
vsinstinctive
660 1.0

Normal and healthy for the body or mind

is automatic and lacks the broader sense of normal everyday functioning
spontaneous
vsinstinctive
187 4.2

Happening naturally without planning or outside cause

is automatic but stresses inner prompting rather than mere lack of planning
automatic
vsinstinctive
48 3.7

Done without thinking, like a quick natural reaction

acts from inner urges rather than from learned habit
intuitive
vsinstinctive
34 5.5

Felt without thinking, like a quick natural reaction

is an automatic action rather than a felt inner judgment
instinctual
vsinstinctive
12 4.2

A quick natural reaction that happens without thinking

is an automatic action appearing without deliberate thought
reflexive
vsinstinctive
  • Specialized
7 6.8

An automatic action that happens without thinking, often a body reaction

is automatic but not limited to bodily reflex reactions
reflex
vsinstinctive
4.5

Happens automatically without thinking as a quick response to something

is an involuntary action but applies more broadly than sudden triggers
prerational
vsinstinctive
  • Formal
9.3

Happens before logical thought and comes from instinct or feeling

is automatic but can occur during conscious activity as well

Antonyms

125 4.1

Done on purpose after careful thought

19 3.2

Paying careful attention to what is happening

Compounds

instinctive reflex
  • Specialized
4.0

An automatic body response to a touch or sound that happens without thinking

How Automatic

instinctive
28 4.1
automatic
48 3.7
reflexive
  • Specialized
7 6.8
habitual
28 4.0
deliberate
125 4.1

Surface Forms

instinctive positive
instinctively positive

Morphology

instinctive = instinct (transparent) = instinct + ive

The adjective is a regular derivation from the noun 'instinct' meaning 'relating to or prompted by instinct', which is directly inferable for learners.

Etymology

Instinctive comes from the word instinct, which comes from Latin instinctus meaning 'a push' or 'an inner urge'. So an instinctive action is one you do because of that inner push, without thinking.